'Two-tier' university

MANCHESTER University is allowing overseas students to take up places on degree courses with lower qualifications than their UK counterparts. Students from overseas can be attractive to cash-strapped universities because the fees they pay can be twice the amount secured for UK students.

MANCHESTER University is allowing overseas students to take up places on popular degree courses with lower qualifications than their UK counterparts.

Students from overseas can be attractive to cash-strapped universities because the fees they pay can be twice the amount secured for students from the UK.

And now it has emerged that the university is showing greater "flexibility" with overseas students applying to over-subscribed courses.

According to reports, published over the weekend, Manchester University was one of a number of institutions across the country encouraging applications from overseas students - while rejecting UK students with similar grades.

The apparent two-tier admissions criteria has prompted claims that Manchester and other universities across the country are discriminating against students from the UK.

No impact

But Jacqueline Henshaw, head of undergraduate admissions at the university, says the places offered to overseas students have no impact on those available to students from the UK

That's because the number of places on offer to students from the UK are limited by government funding, through the Higher Education Funding Council of England (HEFCE). And that number cannot be altered - regardless of the number of students the university take on from overseas.

"We are able to be more flexible with overseas students because of the funding methodology," said Ms Henshaw.

"We would never accept anybody who we didn't feel capable of meeting the academic demands of the course. The important thing is ensuring ourselves that the student can get through the course."

Currently all UK students pay é1150-a-year towards the costs of their tuition fees directly to their chosen university, with additional funding claimed from HEFCE. For a business course this would typically run to an additional é2000 a year.

But for a similar course an overseas student could expect to pay more than é8000.